Pakistan, China Forge Model Of State-to-State Relation, As They Celebrate 67th Anniversary

Pakistan and China have succeeded to forge model of 'state-to-state' relations, as they marked the 67th anniversary of their bilateral relations this week

Islamabad, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd May, 2018) : Pakistan and China have succeeded to forge model of 'state-to-state' relations, as they marked the 67th anniversary of their bilateral relations this week.

Their diplomatic and strategic ties have reached to a new height, with the launching of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that paves the way of bringing their trade and business partnership at par with their excellent diplomatic relations.

There is an unprecedented commitment at the level of top leadership of the two countries to stay as a iron brother in promoting and safeguarding their common interest in all sphere of life. Over the years, there has been a major breakthrough at the people-to-people level-contacts, through frequent cultural, students and media exchanges as well as trade and business-level interaction.China ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing in a statement said in the years to come both countries will devote themselves to pushing forward their relations to new heights.

They are confident that China-Pakistan relationship will continue to take the lead in state-to-state relationships, playing an exemplary role in the practice of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The formal diplomatic relationship was established on May 21, 1951, but the history of the relationship goes back thousands of years, to the time when ancient Chinese traders traveled to Europe via what is now Pakistan, reports Asia Times on Tuesday.

The first official delegation of the government of Pakistan visited China on January 4, 1950, just three months after the end of the Chinese Civil War and establishment of the People's Republic.

� In its first six decades, relations between Pakistan and China were mostly political in nature. There were frequent exchange visits of the� The first official delegation of the government of Pakistan visited China on January 4, 1950, just three months after the end of the Chinese Civil War and establishment of the People's Republic.

In its first six decades, relations between Pakistan and China were mostly political in nature. There were frequent exchange visits of the leaderships of both countries. The two nations supported each other on domestic issues, as well as on regional and international issues.

The foreign offices of both countries maintained close coordination, which resulted in complete harmony on world affairs. They made major progress on bilateral ties and many memoranda of understanding� and agreements were signed between the two countries, including: January 1963: The first�formal trade agreement between China and Pakistan was signed.

March 1963: China and Pakistan reached a border agreement. The boundary agreement provisionally demarcated the frontier between the two neighbors. The final agreement was signed by foreign ministers Chen Yi for the Chinese side and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for the Pakistani side.

August 1963: An air transport agreement was signed authorizing each other's airlines to land and operate, along with other services. March 1965: The Chinese and Pakistani governments signed a cultural exchange agreement in Rawalpindi.

They agreed to draw up plans for annual cultural exchanges. July 1971: Pakistan assisted the United States in making contact with China that resulted in the visit to China by then US national security adviser Henry Kissinger.

May 1976: China and Pakistan signed an agreement to cooperate in the fields of science and technology. 1978: The Karakoram Highway linking mountainous northern Pakistan with western China was officially inaugurated.

August 1982: The two countries signed a protocol on opening Khunjerab Pass on the Pakistani-China border. September 1986: China and Pakistan signed a comprehensive nuclear cooperation agreement.

March 2002: Chinese vice-premier Wu Banggu visited Pakistan to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of Gwadar deep-sea port. China provided US$198 million for the project. November 2006: The two countries inked the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement.

2011: Pakistan and China celebrated "Pakistan-China Friendship Year" on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of bilateral Pakistan-China relations. July 2013: Pakistan and China inked a historic framework agreement for the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which will link Pakistan's Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea and Kashghar in Xinjiang in northwestern China.

April 2015: President Xi Jinping arrived in Pakistan on a state visit. During the visit 51 agreements and MoUs including the plan for CPEC were signed. President Mamnoon Hussain conferred Pakistan's highest civil award, Nishan-i-Pakistan, on his Chinese counterpart on April 21, 2015.

August 2017: A high-level delegation led by Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang visited Pakistan to attend the 70th Independence Day Celebrations.